Synergy News & Blog: News
New Homes Week: Canalside – a new eco-conscious development
It’s been New Homes Week this week, an annual recognition of new build homes and their benefits. Launched by the Home Builders Federation, the campaign aims to help people understand their options for buying a new home.
Two huge benefits of constructing new homes include their energy efficiency and the cost savings that this brings. Research shows that 85% of new build homes have an A or B EPC rating with only 4% of older homes achieving the same energy performance.
Project Spotlight – Canalside
This week, we shine a light on Canalside, the major multi-million-pound regeneration of the Sheerwater area of Woking. With sustainability at the core of Thameswey’s vision, each zone is being built around what will be the ‘green heart’ of the community – a large central heathland – with low-carbon-energy building design practices to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The new ‘Garden Suburb’ will in total create 1,142 high quality, energy efficient dwellings, improved open green spaces and superb new leisure and community facilities. New retail spaces will boost employment and ‘Green Streets’ will improve pedestrian and cycle routes.
The Phases so Far:
The completion of the Purple Phase has provided 10 townhouses and a six-storey medium rise block of 82 apartments in a courtyard arrangement. Car parking is concealed beneath a podium deck to reduce road side parking with landscaped gardens above. There are private, enclosed gardens with seating terraces for individual properties and open green spaces accessible to all residents. Solar PV is installed on the medium rise roof top providing a peak capacity of 73.8 kW, enough to power over 12,000 LED bulbs simultaneously. (Worked with Gilbert Ash Contractors)
The Copper Phase is currently in a two-year build programme due for completion in Autumn 2023 and comprises 88 low rise dwellings. The central heating and hot water is provided using air source heat pumps assisted by solar thermal and solar PV panels on the roofs. The homes will cater for people of all ages, these include lifetime homes and homes for first time buyers. (Working with Lifebuild Contractors)
The Red Phase of Canalside is progressing well on site, with completion just around the corner this Summer 2023. Utilities’ connections are well underway and the project will be entering the commissioning phase soon. Retail units are ready for shop fit-out and the external area including a new children’s play park is being constructed.
This phase will provide 124 homes of which 107 will be affordable, including 68 sheltered apartments for elderly people. Similar in aesthetic to the Purple Phase, there will be a central square with tree-lined pedestrian pathways, lawns and inviting seating areas, providing a striking gateway to the whole development. It will house the carbon-reducing new energy centre to service the district heating network connecting to all the medium rise developments. (Working with Gilbert Ash Contractors)
Synergy is providing Project Management, Quantity Surveying and Employer’s Agent Services.
